Category

About This Project

This project uses data compiled by the Sunshine in
Government initiative, a coalition of journalism and transparency groups. SGI compiled data
from federal agency annual FOIA reports to
track how often b(3) exemptions were used. SGI also standardized the exemptions
since some agencies used slightly different citations of the same laws. In some
cases, agencies listed general laws without specifying a section under which
information was withheld. This project does not include information from agencies
that use no b(3) exemptions in 2008 or 2009. ProPublica compiled information about FOIA denials.